


Cantrell Draw

by QuintusHazard



Category: Hiveswap, Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, Established Relationship, F/F, Fist Fights, Future Alternia, Gambling, Making Out, Poker, Suggestive Themes, or the closest equivalent i guess, that, you know the midnight city on future alternia?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22972570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuintusHazard/pseuds/QuintusHazard
Summary: In an alternate timeline where trolls repopulate the carapacian-run world of Future Alternia, Boldir plays poker with some friends in a bar, waiting for her favourite singer to perform.
Relationships: Boldir Lamati/Chixie Roixmr
Kudos: 14





	Cantrell Draw

**Author's Note:**

> FIRST OF ALL I know this AU isn't realistic because of the Vast Glub and how Hiveswap takes part BEFORE The Reckoning, but I guess this is just a case of Let Me Have My Fun because I wanted to do a 1920s-esque AU whilst also having trolls rather than humans.
> 
> Rated T for gambling, fighting, and suggestive themes.

There are only two reasons you come out on a Saturday night, and only one of them is because you're a damn good card dealer.

Your name is Boldir Lamati, and you're horns over heels for a singer at the local bar.

Right now you sit at the little tucked-away booth at the back corner of the club with your friends Vikare, Skylla and Mallek. You shoot occasional glances to the stage, but turn back to the deck of cards you'd been shuffling for the past few minutes. This wasn't the best bar in Midnight City, but it was one of the only ones which wouldn't kick you into a shady backroom to play your poker, which was just as well because you favoured the entertainment in this bar.

"C'mon, we're gettin' old here." came Skylla's voice, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

"Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts." you replied, dealing five cards to each of your companions, and five to yourself. Five Card Draw was one of the simpler games of Poker, but it was the one the four of you played most. It was easy to chat over your full hands without the mind games of Hold-em.

"That means Chixie's performing tonight." Mallek raised an eyebrow with a smirk, which disappeared when he saw his hand of cards.

"Maybe so. You know how it is between us by now. There's no need to act like a schoolgrub about it." was your simple answer. You slid a twenty-ceagar note to the centre of the table, joined by a twenty from Skylla, fifteen from Vikare, and five from Mallek. "Bad hand, Mallek?"

"You could say that," he grumbled, holding three of his cards out, face-down. You dealed him some replacements, a smirk of your own coming onto your face as his brow furrowed at his new hand. "Anyway, you're probably thinking about after the show finishes. Slipping backstage and all- ow!" Skylla had elbowed him, then she offered you a soft smile.

"Don't mind him, Boldir. You do what you want, and don't let us laugh about it." Skylla kept her cards, and Vikare handed you two of his own cards to replace. You replaced one of your own, but to no avail - damn. You knew by Skylla's holding that she at least had a full house, and you only had three of a kind.

"Oh, to be in love!" Vikare sighed dreamily. "I'm not adjusting my bet." 

"Neither am I." came Mallek's defeated sigh, but Skylla slid another twenty to the middle of the table. She regarded you with a level gaze, but you saw the subtle raise of her eyebrow - she was challenging you. You knew that if you didn't raise your bet, she'd work out that she'd won. You slid another ten to the centre. 

"Are we done?" you asked finally.

"Of course," Skylla smiled sweetly, and it was time for the showdown.

"One pair," grumbled Mallek, slapping the cards down onto the table. "At least I only put in five."

"Two pairs!" declared Vikare proudly. Despite the fact that he knew he probably wasn't the winner, he was always so cheerful.

"Three of a kind," you sighed, and all eyes were now on Skylla. A smirk crossed her lips. 

"Well thanks for the kind donations, folks. I got a full house." She laid down her cards and gathered the money.

"Why are the rest of you always so lucky?" Mallek was the dealer now, and he gathered up the cards, starting to shuffle the pack again. "Another round?"

But you didn't hear - the performer you'd been waiting for had stepped onto the stage, wearing a flapper dress, lipstick and eye shadow. You were transfixed, although you knew she preferred the waistcoat and trousers look on herself.

"She's real purdy, ain't she?" remarked Skylla, and even Mallek paused his shuffling to stare Chixie's way. 

"Gee, what's she doing with someone like me?" you found yourself muttering, and Vikare patted your arm.

"Don't put yourself down. You must be something special yourself if she chose you." You smiled at him briefly, touched by his kind words, before returning your attention to Chixie, who had just started singing along to the jazz which the house band was playing. Her voice was powerful and sultry, perfectly complementing the thrum of the double-bass and the crooning of the saxophones.

The four of you watched intently as she strutted across the stage, singing her little number - you knew it was something she'd written herself - and caught your eye with a cheeky grin. You couldn't help but smile back.

It was wonderful to see Chixie do what she loved best - she looked right at home on that stage, but you weren't the only one staring.

"Aye-aye." Vikare nudged you, then nodded his head towards a troll at a table near the stage. "Sit-sphere kisser at eleven o'clock."

"But it's only ten." Mallek pulled out his pocket watch, and Skylla rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"Damn. I hope I don't run into him. I could take him on, but I'd rather not dirty my claws." you mumbled, regarding him warily before returning your attention to your matesprit. She was nearing the end of her performance, putting all of her energy into singing the big finale, her voice filling the establishment with its passion and devotion to her work.

Her song was soon over, and she bowed as the club erupted in applause and cheering. Your lot whistled and cheered loudest, but of course the creeper of an indigo's clapping echoed loudly. Despite that, Chixie took no notice of him, catching your eye once again and motioning towards backstage. You nodded, then turned back to your group, not noticing the creep sliding out of his own chair to make a quiet exit.

"I saw that!" Mallek grinned, shuffling the deck again. "So does that mean you're off?"

"In a bit. I can stay for one last round, though, if only to see you lose again."

“That indigo-blooded character was staring at Chixie again.” Skylla hummed as Mallek dealt the cards and your group placed their bets. “He'll get those big ol' teeth knocked out of his skull one of these days if he ain't careful.”

“Yeah, and maybe Boldir will be the one to do it.” Mallek looked more satisfied with his deck, and grinned at you.

“Get real. I'll fight him if I had to, but I'd rather not bother.” you rolled your eyes, handing back two of your cards. You were pleasantly surprised by what you were handed in return. Four of a kind was a lucky hand! Maybe things were looking up. You raised your bet by twenty, and ended up gathering your well-earned winnings, tucking the notes and coins neatly into your wallet. 

You excused yourself from the table after that - you'd given Chixie enough time to change after the show, and you were keen to meet her. The money would go on a nice treat - you'd been wanting to have a day trip with Chixie for a while. Even though the sun burned hot during the day, the early evening would be a good time to take her out. She'd always said she wanted to visit the seaside.

You left the club and circled round into the back alleyway, knowing that the rear entrance was the best way to get backstage without a pass. Your jaunty stride was interrupted at the sight of the troll you'd been dreading – a groan escaped your lips as Zebruh approached the back door from the other end of the alleyway.

You were wearing your best grey waistcoat and black dress shirt tonight – you didn't want them stained with blood, but you wanted to stand your ground. You stopped in your tracks, tapping your black cap-toe shoes almost impatiently on the concrete as you waited for his approach.

As expected, he stopped in front of you and fixed his bow-tie, regarding you with a mildly disgusted expression, as if he'd stepped in something nasty. If you were being honest, Zebruh was the ‘something nasty’ in this alleyway.

“Excuse me. I think you'll find Miss Roixmr and I have a meeting.” He drawled, hooking his thumbs into his belt loops. 

“And I think you'll find that she asked ME to come back here, and not you. Hit the road, Codakk.” you stuffed your hands into your pockets, fixing him with a hard stare which told him that you'd be going nowhere.

“I think we got our wires crossed, missy. I think you'll be the one hitting the road here.” 

You were usually renowned for your swift reflexes, but Zebruh moved much quicker than you gave him credit for. Before you could react, you were on your back and your face stung. Raising a trembling hand to your nose confirmed that your nose was bleeding. The bastard had gone ahead and punched you right in the nose, which wasn't broken thankfully. Your grey hat had flown off with the force of the punch, and rested on the ground just out of your reach.

“Now IF you'll excuse me,” smirked Zebruh smugly, placing his hand on the doorknob, “I have a meeting.”

You were quiet for a few moments, slowly propping yourself up on your elbows.

“No, I don't think I will excuse you,” came your quiet reply before you lunged forward, grabbing Zebruh's leg and pulling him to the ground with you.

In a flash he was beneath you, and you were punching his insufferable, smug face, over and over, giving him the beating he deserved. You'd heard that he'd had his eyes on many of the performers in this club and stalked them relentlessly, so you knew he needed to be taught a lesson.

At first Zebruh was too shocked by your sudden retaliation to do much, crying out as you bruised his face and bloodied his nose. It seemed like forever before he finally responded, although it was likely only a few seconds. Putting his hands on your shoulders, he shoved you away, quickly rolling over onto his hands and knees and coughing.

You quickly stood, your fists bruised and stained with his blood. You raised your arm to wipe away the blood which oozed from your own nose, trailing down your face. This time you'd be ready for him if he attacked you again.

“You knocked out my tooth..” came his sudden whimper. True enough, one of his upper teeth lay in his trembling palm.

He wobbled onto his feet, panting heavily and pointing at you.

“I'll sue you! I’ll get you beaten up, I'll..!” 

“Get outta here. You should thank me - that'd have cost a fortune to get your tooth pulled.” You interrupted him, sniffling as more olive blood dripped from your nostril.

Zebruh stood still for a few moments as if trying to think of another retort, but finally he shoved past you and stormed out of the alleyway, taking his tooth with him. 

You took a few moments to catch your breath, wiping your bloody hands on your dark trousers and checking your pocket watch. Damn, you'd been keeping Chixie waiting for a while. You hoped she hadn't got bored of waiting and left. You grabbed your hat and dusted it down before placing it back onto your head. You made your own way to the door, opening it and stepping inside.

You knew your way to Chixie's dressing room like the back of your hand, knocking quietly before entering.

And there she stood – as brilliant as starlight.

Chixie had changed out of her dress, which hung up on a garment rail in the corner of the room, and into a smooth white dress shirt and dark brown corduroy pants. She'd also removed her makeup, so her face looked natural and serene.

She turned to see who'd come in, and her eyes widened. She took a few moments to stare at you before stepping over and cupping your cheeks, examining your nose to make sure it wasn't broken. Finally she spoke, her voice light and musical.

“Jesus, what the fuck happened to you?”

“Nothing I couldn't handle,” you assured her, enjoying the feeling of her soft, warm palms on your wind-chilled cheeks. “Just that indigo bastard trying to creep on you. I sent him away, though. He just got a bit uppity first.”

Chixie’s expression was mixed – she was worried and upset that you'd got into a fight, but touched and relieved that you'd fought in her honour. She turned away for a moment to grab a Kleenex, gently wiping the blood away from your sore nose.

“Thank you. I wish you didn't have to fight, though.” She punctuated her sentence with a gentle kiss to your forehead, her free hand cupping your cheek again.

“Me too, but he came at me first.” You hummed, your arms sliding slowly around Chixie's middle to pull her close. “I missed you, Chix. I couldn't just do nothing.” 

She nodded, tilting her head down to kiss your lips gently. It wasn't a long kiss by any means, but the way her lips lingered gave the promise of more to come. 

“Then you're my hero,” she murmured, her own arms wrapping around your midsection as she kissed you again, closing her eyes. This kiss was shorter than the last, but it was followed immediately by another kiss, and then another, until the two of you leaned against each other, warm and contented.

“More like you're MY hero. You can perform up on that stage with no trouble. I loved your song tonight – we all did.” You spoke up finally, your lips brushing against her jaw. You rewarded her with a few sweet kisses from her chin, along to the back of her jaw. Her body relaxed against yours as she sighed in pleasure.

“I know. I saw you. I heard you cheering.” Chixie murmured, removing your hat and curling her fingers into your hair. She tilted her head back as you kissed the other side of her jaw, and you felt by the shift of her mandible that she was biting her lip. “It takes a lot to be a stage performer, you know. I'm always a little nervous up there.” 

The back of Chixie’s hips soon bumped against the edge of the dressing table which rested against the far wall, and with a little effort she moved herself up to sit on it, pulling away and giving you a chance to breathe.

You took a moment to admire her. She looked so pretty with her hair down, naturally wild and messy like you knew she was when she wasn't performing. Her lips were wet, kiss-bitten, and you saw a small bruise on her jaw where you'd been kissing. You chuckled to yourself, thankful that she didn't have any more shows until next week.

The white shirt and brown trousers also added a sense of handsomeness to her. She performed perfectly well with the dress, but gosh, imagine what a heartthrob she'd be if she wore her current clothes on the stage. Maybe a brown hat to match her corduroys would complete the look, along with suspenders hooked over her shoulders, maybe her top shirt button undone..

Without thinking, you reached forward to undo the top button of her shirt, unable to resist leaning forward and pressing a kiss to the newly-exposed patch of skin. You feel Chixie’s body shake slightly with laughter, and you look up to see her smirking down at you.

“Gee! Can't wait until we get outta here?” she questioned, and you huffed and shook your head.

“I wasn't thinking about that at all. I was just thinking that I wanna take you to the beach this weekend.” Your tooth makes your ‘this' come out as ‘dis', which you think makes you sound like some two-bit gangster. “I won a good few bucks at poker tonight, so it'll cover our trip there, and we could even get some ice cream.” 

“I've always wanted to go there. I hear the ocean's beautiful.” Chixie hooks her fingers behind your tie to pull you close, foreheads resting together. “Not as beautiful as you of course, but I don't want to inflate your ego too much.”

You knew she was just teasing, and you couldn't resist kissing her on the lips again. 

“You wouldn't even need a bathing suit. You could just roll up your corduroys if you wanted a paddle.” You hummed, placing your hands on the table either side of Chixie's waist.

“As long as you paddle with me.”

“In your dreams! The sea's much too cold.”

“What, have you been there before?” her arms wrap around you again, curling her fingers into the back of your waistcoat. “C'mon, baby. You wouldn't paddle with your matesprit?” 

“You know I can't resist it when you give me that look.” You grumble jokingly, leaning forward to kiss her again. This time you don't pull away, and neither does she.

Her lips feel wonderful against yours – you must remember to ask what chapstick she uses. The movements of your mouths are languid and slow, savouring the taste and feel of each other. She teases you by flicking her tongue against your bottom lip, then pulling away from your mouth to kiss your jaw this time.

You hum as her lips descend to your neck, and whine when she pulls away again.

“I'd probably get fired if I get caught necking a patron in the back room.” She smiles sweetly, her voice almost sing-song in tone.

“You're as much of a rule-breaker as me,” You step back and straighten your tie, but you nod. “but I wouldn't want you to lose your job. May I walk you home?”

You offer your hand, and Chixie giggles delightedly before accepting your offer and kissing the back of your hand tenderly.

“You may.”

Before long, the only evidence of this rendezvous are a beige flapper dress, and a pool of indigo blood outside in the alleyway. 

You're only two small people in the massive Midnight City, but you make things work however you can.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope the shift in tense didn't bother you as much as it bothered me. Shifting tense while writing second-person is easy to do.


End file.
